"Wow...just Wow"
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Review
Written by: bc8787 on 2016-12-29
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bc8787's review: 
I have been an amex cardholder for 6 years now. I have 3 cards with them including this blue cash card. I logged on today to request a CLI (currently at 9K I requested 11. I have requested a CLI before on another card and received an auto CLI within 60 seconds. Today I got a "We will notify you with our decision in 7-10 days." When you get approved for a credit card they tell you right away its 2017 why can't they just e mail me a decision? So I called. I was transferred to the CLI team which the lady i spoke with the language barrier was unbearable. All she could say was "You were declined because you have requested a CLI within 90 days" Yes i did, today...once! So I hung up and called again. I explained my whole situation again only for the lady to tell me "You have over 22K in credit between all of your cards why do you want an increase? Lady.... I didn't become an 800 FICO overnight 800 FICO's don't NEED all of their available credit this is why we are 800 ficus because we request CLI's so out debt to income is low. I told her, prime credit customers are educated we didn't become 800 bacons overnight of COURSE I don't need the 11K credit line but I am entitled for this I have WORKED for it. She did not even let me finish before she transferred me to yet another CLI associate with yet another language barrier.All she told me was my CLI was declined because I don't make enough income (I make 97K a year) and that my payments are to low (I only owe about 400 so I make 50 dollars towards the balance because the minimum payment is only 35) I feel extremely de-vaulued as a customer. What do I do? I FEEL i should end my relationship with amex but I don't want to affect my credit score. I don't want to close 22K in credit and have that hit my bureaus. Any advise would be appreciated!
I have been an amex cardholder for 6 years now. I have 3 cards with them including this blue cash card. I logged on today to request a CLI (currently at 9K I requested 11. I have requested a CLI before on another card and received an auto CLI within 60 seconds. Today I got a "We will notify you with our decision in 7-10 days." When you get approved for a credit card they tell you right away its 2017 why can't they just e mail me a decision? So I called. I was transferred to the CLI team which the lady i spoke with the language barrier was unbearable. All she could say was "You were declined because you have requested a CLI within 90 days" Yes i did, today...once! So I hung up and called again. I explained my whole situation again only for the lady to tell me "You have over 22K in credit between all of your cards why do you want an increase? Lady.... I didn't become an 800 FICO overnight 800 FICO's don't NEED all of their available credit this is why we are 800 ficus because we request CLI's so out debt to income is low. I told her, prime credit customers are educated we didn't become 800 bacons overnight of COURSE I don't need the 11K credit line but I am entitled for this I have WORKED for it. She did not even let me finish before she transferred me to yet another CLI associate with yet another language barrier.All she told me was my CLI was declined because I don't make enough income (I make 97K a year) and that my payments are to low (I only owe about 400 so I make 50 dollars towards the balance because the minimum payment is only 35) I feel extremely de-vaulued as a customer. What do I do? I FEEL i should end my relationship with amex but I don't want to affect my credit score. I don't want to close 22K in credit and have that hit my bureaus. Any advise would be appreciated!
3 Comments
Comment 1 by wanderer
Re: Wow...just Wow 
on 2016-12-30
This is most unfortunate! You already know that ... is there any opportunity to talk with a senior credit analyst/manager in the US? I discontinued my relationship with American Express due to higher Aprs and Annual Fees oh and at the time lack of places to use the card products back in 2001 so I am not connected. Used to find I could connect with US based personnel with authority and generally could get a good response. Possibly, you have hit their internal risk limit (Citi does this - speak with experience) and they will not increase my limits). Remember, "nothing ventured nothing gained" contact AX and request to speak with US Based personnel with credit authority supervisor/manager. Of late in reading posts on different websites it seems your response is surfacing more and more. Wonder if the front line CSRs are restricted to a script and to act like they can do something but they can't? Go for it and seek out higher level. Truth, I used to use snail mail and write to higher level people which used to catch them (sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't). Feel your pain ... !
on 2016-12-30 This is most unfortunate! You already know that ... is there any opportunity to talk with a senior credit analyst/manager in the US? I discontinued my relationship with American Express due to higher Aprs and Annual Fees oh and at the time lack of places to use the card products back in 2001 so I am not connected. Used to find I could connect with US based personnel with authority and generally could get a good response. Possibly, you have hit their internal risk limit (Citi does this - speak with experience) and they will not increase my limits). Remember, "nothing ventured nothing gained" contact AX and request to speak with US Based personnel with credit authority supervisor/manager. Of late in reading posts on different websites it seems your response is surfacing more and more. Wonder if the front line CSRs are restricted to a script and to act like they can do something but they can't? Go for it and seek out higher level. Truth, I used to use snail mail and write to higher level people which used to catch them (sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't). Feel your pain ... !
Comment 2 by breakinger
Re: Wow...just Wow on 2016-12-30
Wanderer, I've never heard of an internal risk limit before. What is that? I have a Citi card and I haven't tried requesting a CLI from them yet. One thing I can't stand about calling a lot of these places is that there is such a language barrier between us all. I feel like no matter how many times you explain yourself they still aren't answering your question. For me, though, I don't think I would want to get rid of the card just yet. It sounds like there are still some options left for you to try first. Let us know how you make out in case one of us runs into a similar situation.
on 2016-12-30 Wanderer, I've never heard of an internal risk limit before. What is that? I have a Citi card and I haven't tried requesting a CLI from them yet. One thing I can't stand about calling a lot of these places is that there is such a language barrier between us all. I feel like no matter how many times you explain yourself they still aren't answering your question. For me, though, I don't think I would want to get rid of the card just yet. It sounds like there are still some options left for you to try first. Let us know how you make out in case one of us runs into a similar situation.
Comment 3 by wanderer
Re: Wow...just Wow on 2016-12-30
Suspect most lenders have formulas and software that they use to evaluate a new or ongoing borrowers. Part of their evaluation is going to be looking at credit scores, income, debt ratios and how all that compares to the lender's experiences across their lending data base. Then based on all this determine what is the maximum a lender will lend using their risk model. A Citi CSR is how I found they have such a tool. In digging some more Chase has limits and it is only my conjecture but, suspect most lenders have ceiling they will not exceed. In the old days before e-commerce credit bureaus were manual and lenders looked at the percent they allowed for a minimum payment (5%, 2% or whatever) and correlated that to income and their findings in their own data bases. At one time I figured it out and lenders seem to hold me to credit limit maxes that generated a maximum monthly payment of $200 per month, then as the minimum month payment amount decreased they raised my credit limit and my monthly payment maximum moved up to $300. Today, things are far more scientific and data is more available but still suspect there are correlations on all this. Food for thought. Lenders do look at available credit in the bureau and from the Federal Level are now required to factor a borrower's total financial picture into what they believe a borrower can responsibly repay. Example, my bank reduced my total available credit by $10,000 last spring and closed an account as they felt based on internal and external information my income could not support the available credit (truth they wanted to reduce another $10K but I talked them out of it - they told me the Feds were wanting responsible lending by lenders). Yeah ... well
on 2016-12-30 Suspect most lenders have formulas and software that they use to evaluate a new or ongoing borrowers. Part of their evaluation is going to be looking at credit scores, income, debt ratios and how all that compares to the lender's experiences across their lending data base. Then based on all this determine what is the maximum a lender will lend using their risk model. A Citi CSR is how I found they have such a tool. In digging some more Chase has limits and it is only my conjecture but, suspect most lenders have ceiling they will not exceed. In the old days before e-commerce credit bureaus were manual and lenders looked at the percent they allowed for a minimum payment (5%, 2% or whatever) and correlated that to income and their findings in their own data bases. At one time I figured it out and lenders seem to hold me to credit limit maxes that generated a maximum monthly payment of $200 per month, then as the minimum month payment amount decreased they raised my credit limit and my monthly payment maximum moved up to $300. Today, things are far more scientific and data is more available but still suspect there are correlations on all this. Food for thought. Lenders do look at available credit in the bureau and from the Federal Level are now required to factor a borrower's total financial picture into what they believe a borrower can responsibly repay. Example, my bank reduced my total available credit by $10,000 last spring and closed an account as they felt based on internal and external information my income could not support the available credit (truth they wanted to reduce another $10K but I talked them out of it - they told me the Feds were wanting responsible lending by lenders). Yeah ... well
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Disclaimer: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. Review content is powered by Finance Globe.
